The Chitimacha Tribal School is a private Native American school located in Charenton, Louisiana on the Chitimacha tribal reservation along the Bayou Teche.  The current school was established under the leadership of Native American, Leroy Burgess in the early 1970s.  Mr. Burgess began his education when he was twelve years old in a one-room school building located on the reservation.  Once he was of age, he joined the military and went off to fight in World War II, ending his formal schooling career (Personal communication, L. Burgess, September 13, 2006).  When Mr. Burgess returned home he felt that education was of utmost importance and he began his fight to create a school for the Native American children. 

Education for many Native American children came with a high price.  Bonnie Butaud Bonin, tribal member, recalls being insulted on a daily basis when she attended public grade school because of her Native American heritage.  Martha Vilcan Butaud, tribal member, along with many other tribal members was denied a public education both by “white” and “black” institutions because of her Native American heritage.  Education for the Chitimacha people has come at a cost and was achieved by sheer determination (Personal communication, B. Bonin, 1989 – 1992).

In 1934 the Chitimacha Day School was founded by the persistence of tribal elders and leaders.  A one-room, condemned, African American school building was donated to the Tribe and was brought onto the reservation.  Federal agencies provided minimal financial support.  State and local educational officials supervised the curriculum, and provided a home economics teacher, Mrs. Helosie Fay Delahoussay.  Mrs. Delahoussay left her teaching position in nearby Franklin to become the only teacher for the first ten years of the school’s operation (Chitimacha Education, June, 2006).

By 1940, seven students had received graduation certificates for completing the seventh grade.  Some of the boys enlisted in the United States Army to fight in World War II and the other students were sent to the Haskell Institute, a Native American institute in Kansas for higher education.  Native American children still were unable to attend public schools (Chitimacha Education, June, 2006).

By the end of the 1940’s with enrollment numbers increasing, a new school was needed.  Negotiations developed between the St. Mary Parish School Board and the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana to have the Native American children attend public parish school as well as children of other races with the federal government paying tuitions.  The parish quickly rejected this proposal.  By the 1960s and 1970s some Chitimacha children enrolled in Catholic schools while others attended the Chitimacha Day School.  At this time in history, desegregation was guaranteeing Chitimacha children a higher education without moving out of state to attend a Native American institution.  It was not until 1962 that the first two Chitimacha men were allowed to graduate from a public school, Franklin High School (Chitimacha Education, June, 2006). In the early 1970s tribal councilmen began to work vigorously for the expansion of the Chitimacha Day School.  Efforts paid off, and by 1972 a temporary classroom building was added, as well as a Title 1 building in 1973.  By 1978 the current Day School building was constructed and dedicated.  The Tribal School serves Native American students and accepts non- tribal members with payment of tuition.   In 1991, the Chitimacha Day School became the Chitimacha Tribal School; a Bureau of Indian Affairs Department (BIA) grant school run by the Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana.  “Chitimacha Tribal School’s basic purpose is the development of Chitimacha students who are capable of effectively participating in tribal, local, state, and world affairs.  It is the intention of the Chitimacha School to prepare students who can meet challenges and assume responsible roles within the family and community.  “The development of such individuals begins with teaching good citizenship, preservation of cultural heritage, and above all, the essentials of superior education." (Chitimacha Education, June, 2006 p. 3)

 Cultural Department. "Chitimacha Education." Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana,

 Charenton, Louisiana. June, 2006.